The Orioles have hired Jared Banner as general manager. Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the move first, and MLB Trade Rumors later said the club had made it official. Banner was most recently an assistant GM with the Cubs.

MLB Trade Rumors, citing the club's release, gave the most detail on the job. Banner will be in charge of player development, coaching and performance. He will work with Mike Elias on staffing and acquisitions. The reporting describes Banner as joining Elias in Baltimore's leadership, so Elias stays in place. The feeds we have don't say how the two will divide final authority over baseball decisions, and none of them gives a contract length.

Passan's report, as relayed on r/baseball, says Banner has spent nearly two decades in a range of executive jobs with the Cubs, the Mets and the Red Sox. Yahoo Sports also describes him as having nearly two decades around the game. CBS Sports frames the hire as Baltimore trying to get back on track after its rebuild stalled. That framing is CBS's and not part of the club's announcement.

The record shows why the club might want a change. Baltimore finished 79-82, fourth in the AL East. As of Sept. 27 the Orioles were 18.5 games behind first-place Tampa Bay, and their run differential was minus-21. Their last games we have were at Yankee Stadium. They won 10-2 on Sept. 25 and lost 6-3 on Sept. 26, and the Sept. 27 game is listed without a result.

Banner leaves a Cubs club that finished 89-73, second in the NL Central. The Cubs' run differential was plus-147, among the best in the National League. The Cubs were 14 games behind Milwaukee in the division as of Sept. 27. Their last game we have was a 4-1 loss at San Diego on Sept. 30.

The development and coaching portfolio puts Banner over a staff that Craig Albernaz leads as manager. The sources don't say whether any changes to that staff are planned. The reporting also doesn't say what Banner and Elias will do first on staffing and acquisitions.